Team building for government employees

Team building for government employees works best as a 60-minute hosted workshop or game on the video platform your agency allows, picked by who pays: agency funds, an employee morale committee or a contractor's own budget. We take purchase orders and invoices, and every price is shown before you book.

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Government office staff laughing over a team trivia game in a conference room while remote colleagues join on a wall screen

Who pays decides what you can book

Public sector team building starts with the money, not the activity. The same hour can be fine from one budget and a problem from another.

  • Agency funds

    Appropriated funds

    GAO's Red Book says agencies need specific authority, or must pass a personal expense test, before they spend appropriations on entertaining their own staff. Training has its own authority under the Government Employees Training Act, so a skill workshop and a social game can land in different budgets.

  • Employee funds

    A morale or activities committee

    Many offices run their party, potluck or game hour from money employees put in themselves. That money can buy a hosted game or a kit hour like any private group would.

  • Company funds

    A contractor's own budget

    A contractor can book for its own staff like any company. Inviting federal customers is different: the gift rule in 5 CFR 2635.204 generally caps what an employee may accept from a prohibited source at $20 per occasion and $50 a year from one source.

State and local governments set their own purchasing and ethics rules, and they vary by state, county and city. The federal rules above come from GAO, OPM and the Office of Government Ethics.

This is general information, not legal advice. Check with your ethics office or agency counsel before you book.

Government team building activities, by budget

Every activity below has a live host or facilitator and runs on your call. Prices come straight from our catalog.

Skill workshops, the training-shaped hour

A facilitator teaches one skill and has people practice it. Ask your training office whether yours can fund it.

Hosted games for the morale committee

A host runs the whole hour, so the committee chair gets to play too. Nothing to ship, so 2 weeks is enough notice.

Want something made by hand? See kit workshops, where a box ships to each person. See all activities.

What it costs for an office, a division or a whole agency

Workshops and games are a package price for the group, so the cost per person drops as more people join. Kits are a base fee plus a price per kit.

Useful when a committee is collecting money per person: the second line in each cell is the share for each attendee.

Total price by headcount, with the share per person
Speak Up! Public Speaking WorkshopSkill workshop20 people$850$43 each50 people$1,700$34 each100 people$3,400$34 each
Trivia with a Twist!Hosted virtual game20 people$975$49 each50 people$1,195$24 each100 people$1,635$16 each
OrigamiKit workshop, kits shipped20 people$879$44 each50 people$1,629$33 each100 people$2,879$29 each

Worked out from our live catalog prices. Need it on paper for a PO? Get a free quote.

Buying it: purchase orders, invoices and quotes

What a contracting or finance office usually asks for, and how we handle each one.

  • A price before anything is signed. Every activity page shows the total for your headcount, and a free quote comes back as a written plan within 24 hours for your file.
  • Purchase orders. A booking on a PO gets an invoice instead of a card charge. Pay by ACH, check or wire.
  • Card works too. Reserve online with a 50% deposit when your office pays by card.
  • Net terms for larger accounts. Enterprise accounts can put each event on its own PO with net 7 to 90 day terms, or take one monthly invoice.
  • Ask your contracting office first. Some offices must buy through a set contract vehicle. Tell us what yours needs and we will say plainly whether we can meet it.

The government team building calendar, 2026 to 2027

Federal fiscal year 2027 runs October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2027. These are the dates most offices plan around, with book-by dates from our lead times.

  1. December 2026

    The office holiday party

    Usually a morale committee event. For a party on Tuesday, December 15, 2026, book a hosted game by December 1 and a kit workshop by November 24. Ideas on the virtual holiday party page.

  2. January to March 2027

    Skill workshops in the quieter months

    A public speaking, presenting or stress session for a division, booked as training where your office allows it.

  3. May 2 to 8, 2027

    Public Service Recognition Week

    The Partnership for Public Service says the week is celebrated during the first week of May (it ran May 3 to 9 in 2026). For a game on Tuesday, May 4, 2027, book by April 20.

  4. By September 30, 2027

    The end of fiscal year 2027

    If a training budget pays, get the PO in place before your office's year-end purchasing cutoff, not in the last week.

Making it work for field offices, shifts and agency IT

Government teams rarely sit in one room. Four things to settle before you send the invite.

  • The platform you are allowed to use

    Zoom by default. Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request: our host shares a screen, and team games need breakout rooms. Music Bingo is Zoom only.

  • Headquarters plus field offices

    Put each office on a conference room screen and remote staff on their own laptops. Our hybrid team building page has the room setup.

  • Shifts and around-the-clock posts

    Book the same game twice, one session per shift, so people on nights are not left out. Most sessions run about 60 minutes.

  • Kits to offices or homes

    Each person enters their own shipping address, and continental US shipping is included. Alaska, Hawaii and US territories cost extra. See kit shipping.

Team building for government contractors

Contractor teams have more room than agency staff, with one line not to cross.

Planning for a whole company? See corporate team building.

  • Your own staff, your own budget. Book a game or workshop like any company would, by card or on a PO.
  • Staff on site at an agency. Run the hour on video so people at a customer site can join from a meeting room.
  • Keep customer events separate. If federal employees would attend, check the gift rule first and talk to your own counsel.

Government team building questions

What is good team building for government employees?

A 60-minute hosted activity that runs on the video platform your agency allows: a skill workshop on public speaking, supervising or stress, or a hosted trivia or survey game for the office party. Pick the format by who pays, since agency funds and employee-funded committees have different rules.

Can a federal agency pay for team building with appropriated funds?

It depends on the activity and your agency's authority. GAO's Red Book says agencies need specific authority, or must pass a personal expense test, before spending appropriations on entertaining their own staff, while the Government Employees Training Act gives agencies authority to fund training. This is general information, not legal advice: check with your ethics office or agency counsel before you book.

Do you accept purchase orders and invoices?

Yes. A booking on a purchase order gets an invoice instead of a card charge, payable by ACH, check or wire. Card payment with a 50% deposit works too, and enterprise accounts can use net 7 to 90 day terms or one monthly invoice.

Do the rules differ for state and local government?

Yes. States, counties, cities and school districts each set their own purchasing and ethics rules, and they vary a lot. Ask your finance or procurement office how a small event purchase is made, and your ethics officer about anything a vendor or contractor would pay for.

Can a government contractor host an event for its federal customers?

Federal ethics rules limit what employees may accept from a prohibited source; 5 CFR 2635.204 generally caps it at $20 per occasion and $50 a year from one source. A contractor's events for its own staff are a different matter. Check with your ethics office or counsel before inviting federal employees.

Can you run on Microsoft Teams or Webex?

Yes, on request. Zoom is the default, and Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Webex work as long as our host can share a screen; team games also need breakout rooms. Music Bingo is Zoom only.

How far ahead should we book?

About 2 weeks for hosted games and workshops and 3 weeks for kit workshops. For a December 15, 2026 party, book a game by December 1 or a kit by November 24. Leave extra time for your own purchase order approval.

Keep planning

Plan your agency's next team event

Send us your date, headcount and how you will pay. You get a plan and a written price within 24 hours.

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